"Good Housekeeping" Gets the iPhone Treatment

The app, which is free, is the first iPhone application from Good Housekeeping. The app isn't simply a reproduction of the print magazine, however; instead, it displays tips and ideas on cleaning, stain removal and home decor that is better suited to the iOS environment.

Good Housekeeping was founded in 1885 and reaches about 25 million readers per month. One of the things the magazine is known for is its Stain Buster tool, an encyclopedic reference of best advice for removing stains from fabric, upholstery and carpet.

The app includes complete access to this resource and you can search for specific stain types or browse through various types of stains from A to Z. You can then find out information for removing stains from the three different surface types and you can share those methods via Facebook, Twitter or e-mail.

The app also includes access to more general cleaning advice for cleaning wood floors, computers and electronics, marble countertops, etc.

A feature we really like is the ability to view 5,000 products that have won the Good Housekeeping Seal or the Green Good Housekeeping Seal. You can also browse the home decor gallery to get decorating ideas and inspiration.

Making Apps That Attract Advertisers

We spoke with Zumobi's CEO Ken Willner about the app, Zumobi's vision for bringing media to mobile devices and the importance of creating apps with replay value.

Zumobi's other apps include Iron Man for iPhone, MSNBC.com's app, the TLC app, The Today Show app and the Rachel Maddow app. As CEO Ken Wilner explained to us, Zumobi's goal is to make apps that are unique, offer value and keep users coming back.

That's a pretty common goal for mobile application developers — but what we find interesting about Zumobi is that the company is focused on creating apps that can have strong, natural tie-ins for advertising.

Rather than using traditional ad networks like AdMob or even Apple's iAds service, Zumobi has its own BrandBlast advertising platform.

In a lot of ways, you could say that what BrandBlast does is a more targeted version of Apple's hopes for iAds. Zumobi is able to create app-within-an-app experiences that are targeted and designed for the same people that are using the app.

For instance, the first advertiser for the Good Housekeeping @Home app is Macy's. If you tap on the "Presented by Macy's" logo in the top right-hand corner of the app, it takes you to a new interface that is very similar to Macy's official iShop app and its mobile-optimized website. The "ad" shows you deals, coupons, free shipping offers and makes it easy to shop.

This is actually a very effective way of advertising because Macy's is able to target its core audience — women — while users of the app aren't getting inundated with unrelated advertising. It's subtle and useful.

Because user retention is important for both the media companies and the advertisers involved in the app, Wilner told us that Zumobi evaluates its slate of apps at least once a quarter to see what's working, what's not, and what can be improved to make the applications more useful for users.

Apps to the Future

As Wilner and I discussed, the rate at which publishers, content creators and traditional media companies are embracing mobile platforms like the iPhone, Android and tablets like the iPad is in stark contrast to the relatively slow adoption of the web by those same companies.

Part of this, of course, is because the ongoing success of the web has taught content companies that you can't put off adopting the next big forms of media.

Still, we can't help but think that mobile applications go beyond just being an extension of the web. As we've noted in our discussions about the reinvention of print, what makes these applications unique is that they can provide an experience and a utility that goes beyond what is on a website or what is on a printed page or what you see on TV.

The fact that I can have an app with a rolodex of ways to get out stains when I accidentally knock over a two liter bottle of soda onto the carpet is something that goes beyond what's available via magazine or on a website.

Likewise, the ability of so many applications to provide location-specific information via GPS is what makes mobile such a different sort of space.

It's exciting to see mobile app makers and publishers working together to evolve content for these new mediums.

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